First it was the courts, not it’s the Patent and Trademark Office. Microsoft can’t get a break on this one.
The USPTO has denied Microsoft’s request to invalidate a Custom XML patent held by Toronto-based i4i, dealing the software giant another setback in a long-running infringement case and leaving it with few option.
Following a loss in federal court, Microsoft is still considering an appeal to the Supreme Court, but in the meantime it is barred from selling versions of Word that contain the disputed Custom XML.
Datamation has the latest on Microsoft’s ongoing patent dispute.
Microsoft has once again been stymied in its long-running patent infringement battle with tiny Toronto-based i4i, a struggle that may cost the software giant nearly $300 million.
The case has long since ceased to have any potential impact on Microsoft customers. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) removed the infringing code last year via patches issued to its customers.
The latest blow to Microsoft came from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which ruled that i4i’s patent on Custom XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is valid after Microsoft had requested the patent be declared invalid. The smaller firm filed its suit for infringement in March 2007 after attempts to negotiate a settlement failed.